Elementary School Success Profile (ESSP) – For Parents

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Abstract

The Elementary School Success Profile (ESSP)-For Parent is a comprehensive, multi-dimensional psychological assessment tool designed to measure the various ecological and contextual factors that influence an elementary school child’s academic and social success. Developed within the framework of the larger School Success Profile (SSP) system, the parent version specifically captures the caregiver’s perception of the child’s environment, encompassing family dynamics, neighborhood safety, parental involvement in schooling, and the child’s social and behavioral competence at home. This instrument is crucial for identifying specific areas of risk or protection that may require targeted intervention planning by school-based practitioners and researchers.

Keywords

Elementary School Success Profile, ESSP, parent report, ecological assessment, school success, child behavior, family environment, parent involvement, psychometric properties, risk and protective factors

Authors

Natasha K. Bowen, Gary L. Bowen, Joel M. Richman, Mary E. Woolley, Richard A. Rose, Jeanne D. Powers, Elizabeth J. Glennie, Kate M. Wegmann, Aaron M. Thompson

Purpose

The primary purpose of the ESSP-Parent is to provide a detailed, ecologically valid assessment of the environments surrounding an elementary school student, as reported by the child’s primary caregiver. This assessment aims to move beyond traditional, narrow measures of academic achievement or internalizing/externalizing behaviors by mapping the complex interplay of factors in the child’s life—including home, school, and neighborhood contexts—that contribute to or detract from their overall success.

The scale serves as a foundation for implementing a results management approach to intervention planning. By identifying specific environmental and behavioral strengths (protective factors) and weaknesses (risk factors), practitioners, particularly school social workers, can tailor interventions to the unique needs of the student and their family system, thereby enhancing the relevance and effectiveness of support services.

Construct

The ESSP-Parent measures constructs related to the child’s ecological assessment, which posits that development is influenced by nested systems of environment. The instrument is structured to assess several domains crucial for school success:

  • Parent/Family Demographics: Capturing fundamental household characteristics, socioeconomic status, and parental education levels.
  • Neighborhood Context: Measuring safety perceptions, neighborhood stability, exposure to crime/drugs, and the level of collective efficacy among neighborhood adults.
  • Parent-School Involvement: Assessing the frequency and quality of parent engagement with the school (e.g., conferences, volunteering, communication).
  • Home Environment and Social Behavior: Evaluating family cohesion, parental support practices (e.g., encouragement, limiting screen time), and the child’s social competence and behavioral control.
  • Risk Behaviors: Assessing parental concern regarding future substance use (alcohol, drugs) by the child.

Validity

Extensive research has focused on establishing the validity of the School Success Profile instruments. Studies confirm that the ESSP-Parent exhibits strong construct validity, demonstrating that its subscales reliably measure distinct ecological factors hypothesized to influence child outcomes. Researchers have used the instrument to successfully identify variables associated with changes in school success across different student populations, highlighting its predictive utility for academic and behavioral outcomes.

Specifically, research has supported the differentiation of domains like family environment, neighborhood factors, and school context, indicating that the scale effectively captures the multi-systemic nature of school success. The parent report data has been shown to align meaningfully with child-report data and external outcomes, reinforcing the scale’s ecological and clinical relevance in practice settings.

Reliability

The ESSP-Parent demonstrates favorable psychometric properties, particularly in terms of internal consistency across its various subscales. Studies focusing on the parent version, such as those conducted by Bowen (2008), confirm that the derived factors—which include measures of family support, neighborhood quality, and parental monitoring—show acceptable to strong reliability coefficients (typically high Cronbach’s alpha values).

The consistency of measurement across the different domains ensures that the scores derived from the ESSP-Parent are trustworthy for clinical use and longitudinal research tracking changes in the child’s environment over time. This robust reliability supports the use of the ESSP as a high-quality tool for ecological assessments in school settings.

Factor Analysis

The structural integrity of the ESSP-Parent has been rigorously examined through various factor analytic techniques. Early development and validation efforts confirmed the multi-factor structure designed to capture separate but interconnected ecological domains.

A key study involving the home environment and social behavior data from the Elementary School Success Profile for Families utilized Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). This analysis, conducted by Wegmann, Thompson, and Bowen (2011), supported the theoretical model, confirming that the items load onto distinct factors representing different aspects of the home and social environment, such as family cohesion, parental involvement, and child social skills. This structural confirmation is vital for ensuring that interpretation of subscale scores accurately reflects the intended underlying constructs.

Instrument

Test Type: Standardized self-report questionnaire (Completed by parent/caregiver)

Format: Paper-and-pencil or online administration, featuring multiple-choice, rating scale (e.g., Likert scale), and demographic questions.

Language Available: Primarily English (Original development).

Population Group: Parents or primary caregivers of elementary school students.

Age Group: Measures characteristics related to children typically aged 6 to 12 years old.

Population Details: Utilized in educational and clinical settings to assess diverse populations of children and families for research and intervention planning.

Test Methodology: Assesses risk and protective factors across multiple ecological domains. Scores are typically used to create a profile highlighting areas of strength and areas needing intervention. The instrument is part of a larger results management system.

Keywords

School Success Profile, ESSP, parent report, family functioning, neighborhood resources, child social competence, psychometrics, academic risk, protective factors, Social Work Research

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A (Not provided in source material)

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A (Not provided in source material)

Correspondence Address: N/A (Contact information generally available via the School Success Profile website or associated academic institutions.)

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The School Success Profile instruments, including the ESSP-Parent, are generally managed by the developers or associated institutions. Information regarding current usage fees and permissions should be sought directly from the official website. The core development and psychometric testing of the ESSP occurred in the early to mid-2000s, with validation studies published between 2002 and 2011, establishing the scale’s foundation for use in clinical practice and research.

The instrument can be found at: https://www.schoolsuccessonline.com/

Reference’s

  • Bowen, G. L., Richman, J. M., Bowen, N. K. (2002). The School Success Profile: A results management approach to assessment and intervention planning. In: Roberts, A. R.; Greene, G. J., editors. Social workers’ desk reference. New York: Oxford University Press; p. 787-793.
  • Bowen, N. K., Bowen, G. L., (2004). Woolley, M. E. Constructing and validating assessment tools for school based practitioners: The Elementary School Success Profile. In: Roberts, A. R.; Yeager, K. R., editors. Evidence-based practice manual: Research and outcome measures in health and human services. New York: Oxford University Press; p. 509-517.
  • Bowen, G. L., Rose, R, A., Bowen, N. K. (2005). The reliability and validity of the School Success Profile. Philadelphia: Xlibris.
  • Bowen, N. K., Powers, J. D. (2005). Knowledge gaps among school staff and the role of high quality ecological assessments in schools. Research on Social Work Practice, 15, 491–500.
  • Bowen, N. K. (2006). Psychometric properties of the Elementary School Success Profile for Children. Social Work Research, 30(1), 51–63.
  • Bowen, G. L., Rose, R. A., Powers, J. D., & Glennie, E. J. (2008). The joint effects of neighborhoods, schools, peers, and families on changes in the school success of middle school students. Family Relations, 57, 504–516.
  • Bowen, N. K. (2005). Elementary School Success Profile (ESSP). In Fischer, Joel., Corcoran, Kevin J. (2007). Measures for Clinical Practice and research: A sourcebook. (4th ed.). NY. Oxford University Pr. Vol. 1, Page(s): 510-528.
  • Bowen, N. K. (2008). Psychometric properties of the Elementary School Success Profile for Parents. Unpublished paper presented at the Society for Social Work Research; Washington, DC. 2008 January.
  • Bowen, N. K. (2008). Cognitive Testing and the Validity of Child-Report Data from the Elementary School Success Profile. Social Work Research, 32(1): 18. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2818440/
  • Wegmann, Kate M., Thompson, Aaron M. and Bowen, Natasha K. (2011). A Confirmatory Factor Analysis of Home Environment and Home Social Behavior Data from the Elementary School Success Profile for Families. Social Work Research, 35(2), 117-127. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3120049/
  • The original PDF associated with the Wegmann et al. (2011) article can be downloaded here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3120049/pdf/nihms297558.pdf

Items of the Elementary School Success Profile (ESSP)- For parent

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

About You

1. I am the child’s:

  • Mother/Stepmother a Father/Stepfather
  • Grandparent
  • Other Relative
  • Foster Parent
  • Other

About Your Child and Family

2. My child is a:

  • Boy
  • Girl

3. My child’s race/ethnicity best described as:

  • Native American or Alaskan Native
  • Asian
  • Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
  • Black/African American
  • Hispanic/Latino
  • White
  • Multiracial
  • Other

4. My child is:

  • 6 years old or younger
  • 7 years old
  • 8 years old
  • 9 year sold
  • 10 years old
  • 11 years old
  • 12 years old or older

5. Are you currently married?

  • No
  • Yes

6. How many people age 17 or younger live in your home (including the child taking the ESSP)?

  • None
  • One
  • Two
  • Three
  • 4 or more

7. How many people age 18 or older live in your home (including yourself)?

  • None
  • One
  • Two
  • Three
  • 4 or more

8. How far in school did you go?

  • Did not complete high school
  • Received a high school diploma or equivalent
  • Received some College or vocational training
  • Completed 2-year college degree
  • Completed a 4-year college degree
  • Completed a graduate degree

9. If there is a second parent or other adult in your child’s home who helps take care of the child‚ how far in school did he or she go?

  • There is no second caregiver in the home
  • Did not complete high school
  • Received a high school diploma or equivalent
  • Received some college or vocational training
  • Completed a 2-year college degree
  • Completed a 4-year college degree
  • Completed a graduate degree

About Your Child and Family

10. Did any of your child’s brothers or sisters (Including step- or half-siblings) dr‎op out of school before graduating from high school?

  • No
  • Yes
  • My child has no brothers or sisters

11. How would you describe the financial situation of your household?

  • Very comfortable and secure
  • Able to make ends meet every month
  • Some months it’s hard to make ends meet
  • Most months it’s hard to make ends meet
  • Every month it’s hard to make ends meet

12. What is the zip code of your home address? (Write the numbers in the boxes‚ then fill in the right circle below each box.)

13. Do any of the adults (people 18 and Older) in the child’s home currently work for pay?

  • No
  • Yes

14. Does your child receive free or reduced price lunches at school?

  • No
  • Yes

15. Do you have a way to get to your child’s school if needed?

Never‚ Sometimes‚ Often‚ Always

16. Has a doctor suggested your child take medication this year for any of the following reasons? NO‚ YES

  • Anxiety or depression
  • Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
  • Physical or medical disorders (for example‚ eating or sleeping disorders‚ asthma‚ allergies‚ diabetes or seizures)

About Your Neighborhood

Think about the part of town where you live‚ This is what we mean by “neighborhood” in the next sentences. If you live in a rural area‚ think of the people who live closest to you.

17. Do people move in and out of your neighborhood a lot?

  • No
  • Yes
  • I don’t know

18. How many times have you moved in the past year?

  • No moves
  • 1 move
  • 2 moves
  • 3 or more moves

About Your Neighborhood

19. How much time per week does your child usually spend on neighborhood or community activities run by adults‚ such as team sports‚ the scouts‚ or programs at a community center or park?

  • None
  • Less than 1 hour
  • 1 to less than 2 hours
  • 2 to less than 4 hours
  • 4 or more hours

20. How big of a problem are drugs in your neighborhood?

  • Not a problem
  • Somewhat of a problem
  • A big problem

21. In the past 30days did any of the following things happen in your neighborhood? No‚ Yes

  • a. Someone was mugged.
  • b. A home or business was broken into.
  • c. You heard gunshots
  • d. You saw someone selling illegal drugs.
  • e. A person was murdered.
  • f. A fight broke out between two groups or gangs.
  • g. Someone was beaten up.
  • h. A child was removed from a home because of abuse of neglect.

22. Do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

Strongly Agree‚ Disagree‚ Agree‚ Strongly agree

Adults in my neighborhood:

  • a. Show an interest in what children in the neighborhood are doing.
  • b. Would tell me if my child misbehaved or did something dangerous
  • c. look out for my child.
  • d. Help one another in times of need.
  • e. Look out for one another.
  • f. Work together to improve the neighborhood.
  • g. Would take care of my child(ren) in an emergency.

23. Do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

Strongly Agree‚ Disagree‚ Agree‚ Strongly agree

  • a. My child is safe from crime and violence in our neighborhood.
  • b. People in our neighborhood can be trusted.
  • c. I like living In our neighborhood
  • d. I feel safe from crime and violence in our neighborhood.

About Your Neighborhood

24. Do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

Strongly Agree‚ Disagree‚ Agree‚ Strongly agree

Most teenagers in my neighborhood:

  • a. Make good grades in school
  • b. Get in trouble with the police.
  • c. C. Drink alcohol
  • d. Use drugs
  • e. Belong to gangs.
  • f. Graduate from l high school
  • g. Carry a weapon such as a knife‚ gun‚ or club
  • h. Find a job after high school
  • i. Will go to college
  • j. Show respect to adults

About Your Child and the School

25. Does your child receive after-school care at the school?

No‚ Yes‚ Not available at the school

26. Does your child take part in any school clubs or activities that take place after school (such as team sports‚ band‚ drama‚ or science club)? No‚ Yes‚ Not available at the school

27. How often are you afraid that someone will hurt or bother your child at school? Never‚ Sometimes‚ Often‚ Always

28. My child’s teacher cares about my child. Strongly disagree‚ Disagree‚ Agree‚ Strongly agree

29. My child’s teacher wants my child to do well in school. Strongly disagree‚ Disagree‚ Agree‚ Strongly agree

About Your Child and the School

30. My child’s teacher or other school staff would contact me if they had a concern or question about my child’s school behavior or progress. Strongly disagree‚ Disagree‚ Agree‚ Strongly agree

31. How much influence do you think parents like You can have in making schools a better place for students to learn and grow?

  • No influence
  • A little influence
  • Some influence
  • A lot of influence

32. How good of an education do you think your child is getting at his or her school? Poor‚ Fair‚ Good‚ Excellent

33. My work schedule makes it hard for me to be involved at my child’s school.

  • I don’t work outside the home
  • Never
  • Sometimes
  • Often
  • Always

34. How often do you do the following?

Never‚ Sometimes‚ Often‚ Always

  • Go to your child’s school for parent-teacher conferences
  • Volunteer at your child’s school or in the classroom
  • Go to the school when parents are invited to fun events
  • Contact your child’s teacher or other school staff about your child’s school progress or behavior
  • Go to the school for information sessions (such as workshops on behavior‚ testing‚ special programs‚ or homework help)
  • Go to parent-teacher association (PTA) meetings

About You and Your Child at Home

35. How often do you do the following?

Never‚ Sometimes‚ Often‚ Always

  • a. Talk to your child about things he or she is learning at school
  • b. Talk to your child about things that happened during the school day
  • c. Talk to you child about homework
  • d. Check on whether your child does his or her homework
  • e. Praise or reward your child for working hard on school work
  • f. Help your child gel books or supplies for doing homework

36. How often do you do the following?

  • a. Limit the amount of time your child spends watching TV
  • b. Limit the amount of time your child spends playing on school nights
  • c. Make sure your child spends time reading (apart from homework)
  • d. Make sure your child spends time on learning Activities (such as hobbies‚ talking to adults‚ going to the library or museum)

37. For the following statements‚ choose the response that best describes your child within the past 30 days.

Never‚ Rarely‚ Sometimes‚ Often‚ Very Often‚ Always

My child:

  • a. Is liked by playmates.
  • b. Is friendly
  • c. Initiates interactions with others
  • d. Plays with others
  • e. Plays with friendly‚ well behaved children
  • f. Is accepted by friendly‚ well behaved children

About You and Your Child at Home

38. For the following statements‚ choose the response that best describes your child within the past30 days.

Never‚ Rarely‚ Sometimes‚ Often‚ Very Often‚ Always

My child:

  • a. Thinks before acting.
  • b. Can give suggestions and opinions without being bossy.
  • c. Can calm down when excited or all wound up.
  • d. Is helpful to others.
  • e. Controls temper when there is a disagreement.
  • f. Has trouble accepting authority.
  • g. Is very good at understanding other people’s feelings.
  • h. Breaks rules.
  • i. Is stubborn.

39. For the following statements. Choose the response that best describes your child within the past 30 days.

Never‚ Rarely‚ Sometimes‚ Often‚ Very Often‚ Always

My child:

  • a. Physically fights.
  • b. Harms others.
  • c. Plays aggressively (rough).
  • d. Hits others on purpose.

40. How much time does your child spend on homework on most school nights?

None

  • less than15 minutes
  • 15 to less than 30 minutes
  • 30 to less than 45 minutes
  • 45 minutes to less than 1 hour
  • 1 hour or more

41. How much time does your child spend watching TV on most school nights?

  • 0 Hours
  • less than 1 hour
  • 1 to less than 2 hours
  • 2 to less than 4 hours
  • 4 or more hours

About You and Your Child at Home

42. How much time does your child spend playing non-educational computer or video games on most school nights?

  • 0 hours
  • Less than 1/2 hour
  • 1/2 to 1 hour
  • More than 1 but less than 2 hours
  • 2or more hours

43. How much time does your child spend using educational programs or doing homework on the computer on most school nights?

  • 0 hours
  • Less than 1/2 hour
  • 1/2 to 1 hour
  • More than 1 but less than 2 hours
  • 2 or more hours

44. How much time each week does your child spend on chores (such as helping with meals‚ pets‚ or cleaning)?

  • 0 hours
  • Less than 112 hour
  • 1/2 to 1 hour
  • More than 1 but less than 2 hours
  • 2 or more hours

45. How many of your child’s friends do you know?

  • Almost none
  • Some
  • Most
  • Almost all

46. How many of the parents of your child’s friends do you know?

  • Almost none
  • Some
  • Most
  • Almost all

47. How far in school do you think your child will go?

  • Will not complete high school
  • Will receive a high school diploma or equivalent
  • Will receive some college or vocational training
  • Will complete a 2-year college degree
  • Will complete a 4-year college degree
  • Will complete a graduate degree

48. How often do you do the following?

Never‚ Sometimes‚ Often‚ Always

  • a. Give your child encouragement
  • b. Tell your child you love him or her
  • c. Tell your child he or she did a good job
  • d. Make your child feel special
  • e. Spend free time with your child

About You and Your Child at Home

49. How often are the following statements true for your family?

Never‚ Sometimes‚ Often‚ Always

The people in my home:

  • a. Support one another during difficult times
  • b. Give each other plenty of time and attention
  • c. Talk openly and listen to one another
  • d. Feel loved and cared for by one another.
  • e. Play and laugh together‚
  • f. Work together to Solve problems.

50. How often does your child do the following?

Never‚ Sometimes‚ Often‚ Always‚ No other children in home

  • a. Get along with the other children in our home
  • b. Help or comfort the other children in our home
  • c. Share things with the other children in our home

51. How often do you do the following?

Never‚ Sometimes‚ Often‚ Always

  • a. Reward or praise your child’s good behavior
  • a. b. Punish misbehavior even if your child gets upset with the punishment
  • b. Listen to your child’s side before deciding whether to punish your child
  • c. Explain to your child why he or she is being punished
  • d. Use “time out” as a punishment
  • e. Take away a desired activity or object as punishment for misbehavior
  • f. Stay calm but firm when your child doesn’t listen

About You and Your Child at Home

52. Has your child experienced the death of a parent‚ brother‚ sister‚ grandparent‚ or other close family member in the last year? No‚ Yes

53. Have you talked to your child about drugs‚ cigarettes‚ or alcohol?

  • No‚ not yet
  • Yes‚ once
  • Yes‚ a few times
  • Yes‚ I do this often

54. Many young people get Involved with alcohol and drugs. How likely do you think it is that your child will do each of the following as he/she gets older?

Unlikely‚ Somewhat likely‚ Very likely

  • a. Drink alcohol (beer‚ wine‚ liquor)
  • b. Smoke cigarettes
  • C. Smoke marijuana
  • d. Use other illegal drugs (e.g. cocaine‚ heroin‚ LSD)

Cite this article

Mohammed looti (2025). Elementary School Success Profile (ESSP) – For Parents. Psychological Scales & Instruments Database. Retrieved from https://db.arabpsychology.com/scales/elementary-school-success-profile-essp-for-parent/

Mohammed looti. "Elementary School Success Profile (ESSP) – For Parents." Psychological Scales & Instruments Database, 9 Oct. 2025, https://db.arabpsychology.com/scales/elementary-school-success-profile-essp-for-parent/.

Mohammed looti. "Elementary School Success Profile (ESSP) – For Parents." Psychological Scales & Instruments Database, 2025. https://db.arabpsychology.com/scales/elementary-school-success-profile-essp-for-parent/.

Mohammed looti (2025) 'Elementary School Success Profile (ESSP) – For Parents', Psychological Scales & Instruments Database. Available at: https://db.arabpsychology.com/scales/elementary-school-success-profile-essp-for-parent/.

[1] Mohammed looti, "Elementary School Success Profile (ESSP) – For Parents," Psychological Scales & Instruments Database, vol. X, no. Y, ص Z-Z, October, 2025.

Mohammed looti. Elementary School Success Profile (ESSP) – For Parents. Psychological Scales & Instruments Database. 2025;vol(issue):pages.

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